Well yes, Tesla had something to do with the light bulb, when he lit up the Pan American Exposition of 1901, he did not want to use the Edison based light bulb (screw in base) do he came up with his own design, pin style connectors......Edison was pissed....

Proud to say, he did NOT invent the light bulb...do a little research and you will find that the light bulb was patented 50+ years before Edison patented his "IMPROVED" light bulb design......not invented, just improved and existing design......For the most part Edison was a shrewd businessman and had people working from him that did a lot of the inventing.....

I just bought a mini one for $6.... well I bought a neon light for my computer but it came smashed in the mail...so I got to playing around with the transformer, and got a good 1 inch constant spark. and this ible gives me ideas for a mini lightning bulb.

For the most part Edison was a businessman, he would employ people and call their inventions "his" because they worked for him. He tried to do the same to Tesla, but Tesla told him to "Stuff it" and Tesla went off on his own......Edison did NOT invent the light bulb! Please have a look at: http://www.coolquiz.com/trivia/explain/docs/edison.asp....I wish more credit would be given to Tesla, just look at the things around us that we take for granted: AC power, High Voltage coils (what gives car engines spark to run), Radio (Marconi used Tesla's ideas).....the list goes on and on.....Nikola Tesla, Man Ahead of His Time.

In my humble opinion and 2 cents worth experience. it does not worth the work it involved. Plus it is tricky, dangerous for youngster and certainly the bulb would not survive falling from a table. So i am surprised to see such a reckless built not moderated.

That's why it says to keep away from kids and small animals. A little common sense goes a long way. Unfortunately, someone will always do something stupid - there's no stopping that. FWIW, having stairs in your house is just about as dangerous. One little trip, and you could easily break your neck and die. Life is full of dangers. That's what makes it so exciting.

I understand your point of view. But it is good to apprehend that kids are curious and are not aware of the dangers surrounding them. Maybe putting this build in a (bulb) fish tank or putting a label on the pictures "NOT FOR KIDS PLAY" would be a good idea. I don't think dangers make live more exciting... But hey.

Honestly i don't know a kid that could construct this without understanding HV, and the dangers. i might be reading incorrectly but I've never seen a child crack open a monitor for the power source and play with it. and hey, if one does and gets shocked, its their fault and they'll learn not to do so in the future. And like they say, "You don't exactly learn until you burn components." This also works with getting injured.

Personally I'm certainly not one of the 'cotton wool' generation. There are many things on instructables that are technically dangerous but are worth the risk. I would say this wasn't one of them. Live mains voltage on the outside of a globe? I was hoping for a proper plasma globe. They may be dangerous to build (not sure but they MAY be) but it's safe once they're finished. I'd put a plasma globe on my nightstand next to my bed. I wouldn't even allow one of these inside my house. As far as expanding the realm of science - this is hardly doing that. I certainly knew that high voltage electricity arcs if you put the contacts close enough together long before I read this instructable. Sorry. I go with gosub on this one. Despite the warning this is STILL dangerous and irresponsible. I take it you don't have any pets.

I don't know of a single person that was killed or even injured by making this Instructable.

Of course, most people (especially kids) don't need the help of an Instructable to do something stupid that puts their life in danger. Ghost Riding, Car Surfing, Drunk Driving, getting in the car with a drunk driver, Ecstasy, Red Bull and Vodka, etc, etc, etc..

The world is full of danger. Life would be pointless and boring if it wasn't.

gosub, your attitude makes me sad. You seem to wish for a world of perfect safety and one in which no active parenting is required. My parents bought me chemistry sets when I was small. The 'real' kind you can't buy anymore; with glassware, actual (and potentially dangerous) chemicals, and experiments intended to achieve worthwhile results. The authors of the various devices on this website have always, as far as I can tell, explain the possible dangers. That is all that is required. A parent or parents that do not keep involved in their kids activities are responsible for any mishaps. This is something you don't understand, I know, so that is why I mention it. Enforcing or encouraging ignorance, as you propose, is not a good alternative. Dumbing-down people (& kids) makes for more not less accidents. That is, what you don't know or understand WILL hurt you. Involving oneself in the education of youngsters IS moderating the activity; not banning the activity and the knowledge there by gained. Perhaps encapsulating our children in shatterproof, opaque containers is what you think to be the best approach. The results might keep them safe, but at the cost of making them useless members of society

Dude I totally agree with you im sick and ttired of all this protect everyone from all harm crap. I mean it's your own body! I think that things should be kept in hand - just enough so people don't kill themselves Im 14 and make all sort of dangerous things like thermite but ever since ive been burned I have never been reckless with that stuff again! Experiences teach you not safety. "Whatever dosent kill you just makes you stronger"